You may never get to ride on Marty McFly's hoverboard, but the AirBoard could become a reality sooner than later. The AirBoard is a personal aircraft powered by electricity. It uses a vertical take-off and landing design, meaning it hovers like a helicopter. When not in use, it can be folded up and stored in the back of your car or closet.
Not much is known about the AirBoard as it's still in the early stages of development. The Latvian team behind it promises it'll be easy to operate and have smartphone connectivity. The team imagines the AirBoard being used for everything from personal transportation to humanitarian missions in remote parts of the world. They've taken their project to Indiegogo and if all goes well there should be a mass production run by then end of 2016.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Personal Electric Aircraft
- The creation of affordable personal vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircrafts presents the opportunity for disruptive innovation in the transportation industry.
- Folding Electric Transportation
- The development of foldable electric modes of transportation provides potential for innovation in the personal mobility industry, especially for commuters and travelers.
- Electric Humanitarian Aviation
- The introduction of electric aircraft for humanitarian aid and remote missions presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in the aviation industry.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Transportation
- The development of personal electric aircrafts opens possibilities for innovative modes of transportation for individual and commercial use.
- Consumer Electronics
- The creation of foldable personal electric aircrafts with smartphone connectivity presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in the consumer electronics industry.
- Humanitarian Aid
- The use of affordable and accessible personal electric aircraft for humanitarian missions presents innovative and practical solutions for providing aid to remote and hard-to-reach areas.
